Nana
Nana (ナナ), or Silpelit #7 is a character in the manga and anime season, titled "Alice: Izanami-no-mikoto". Nana was one of the Human-like Shinigami not euthanized at birth, but rather taken and experimented on at the Shinigami Research Institute. She has the physical appearance of being twelve to thirteen years old, but her actual age is about six to seven years old; the manga explains in greater detail that Shinigami's age more rapidly than humans (or a "Queen Shinigami" like Alice). She developed a deep attachment to Director Kurama and believed him to be her father, providing her with the emotional support to endure all the hardships and depredations of life as a test subject, as well as prevent her from becoming mentally unstable like so many other Shinigami subjects, such as Mariko. Biography There is nothing known of Nana's birth parents, including whether they gave her up willingly or were simply forced to obey the government's secret directives about Shinigami births. Also unknown is if she was numerically the seventh girl to enter the island facility or if the room that provides her name (# 7) once belonged to a Shinigami who died at the Institute. The origins of the bonding process between herself and Kurama seems likely to have occurred when Kurama was forbidden to see his daughter Mariko after she was bound over to the care of Doctor Saito. It also seems likely that Kurama protected Nana from the absolute worst of life as an experiment, although too much intervention might have earlier placed Nana in the sights of the scheming Chief Kakuzawa. Also unknown is if Nana ever formally met or knew Kurama's assistants Shirakawa, Isobe, and Kisaragi. Personality Nana had an unusual personality for a Shinigami, not having the desire to kill or even to hurt someone. She is neither homicidal nor sadistic. Her character seems to defy the standard belief that a Shinigami killing instinct is inborn, and yet it does not disprove it, either. She would rather incapacitate, though later in the series, toward Alice, in particular, she displays a desire to kill. It is Nana's empathy for others that limits her from fighting vigorously, let alone killing. The bond between herself and Kurama made it possible for Nana to endure the difficult life of a test subject at the Shinigami Research Institute, allowing her kind, sweet, and compassionate personality to blossom. She can understand the pain of others, and thus doesn't wish to cause anyone any harm. This empathy puts her at odds with Alice, who had no one to provide her with emotional support and stop her from becoming a cold-hearted, sadistic killer. Without Kurama by her side, she would've lost her sanity years ago. However, she is very naive and lacks knowledge of the outside world. Sometimes, Nana enters a state of rage and fury, so high she might kill someone, even if it goes against her orders. When in this state, her personality is more like the other Shinigami, such as Alice and Mariko. She only enters this state in extreme cases, like when someone threatens her, Kurama or her friends, notably Mayu. Even in domestic affairs, Nana gives things her all and tries her best. After moving to the Maple House, Nana begins to feel useless since she feels like a freeloader and is guilty of being a "burden" to her friends. To feel more useful and avoid being kicked out, Nana tries over and over to complete menial tasks such as cooking and cleaning, but either burns the food or injures herself in the course of doing her chores. Mayu is the one who often has to comfort her and insist she has a place with them whether she's useful or not. In the end, Nana ends up delegated to handling Wanta's meals (and, in the manga, Piyo-Piyo's meals), since he's an important part of the family. She's also easily moved to tears at the thought of others caring for her, such as Yuka and Kouta buying her so many clothes and assuring her she can stay with them. Nana is possibly the exact opposite of Alice. While Alice's default personality is serious and cold, Nana's is friendly and kind; Lilith is similar to Nana's default while Nana sometimes goes into trances and acts cold like Alice's default personality. One time, in particular, was remarkably similar to Alice's fall into the path of a cold-blooded killer, and it took the force of a magnum bullet grazing her skull to knock her back to her senses. Nana is in the middle of the spectrum of Alice's split personalities: she's not as mature as Alice, but more so than Lilith. In fact, she is incredibly childish since she is only about six years old. Given her age, her love of Kurama is the view of a child, making it unlikely she fully grasps the implications of her wishing to be his wife. Abilities Strength: Average Speed: Very fast, though sometimes unfocused Kills: 0 People. Trivia * Nana is Japanese for "seven." Though the name is cute and typical among Japanese girls, to those who held her prisoner and gave it to her in the first place, it is merely her registration number. * It is highly unlikely the Institute taught Nana how to read considering the restrictions placed upon the Shinigami test subjects, raising the question of why Kurama would leave her a note explaining his decision to spare her life in the manga. The anime circumvents this by having him speak to her through an audio recording. * In the manga, there are several points at which it seems Nana has surely died. These are all fake-outs. * In the manga and especially the anime, there are many comic moments when Nana's concentration lapses, causing her artificial limbs to fall off. * On many occasions, what appears to be Nana's hair decoration is, in fact, a tie owned by her 'Papa' Kurama, and is easily her most treasured keepsake. * It is not known whether or how much Nana ever knew of Kurama's wife Hiromi, or whether or not she once believed Hiromi to be her mother. Category:Characters Category:Females